Reinforced slide fasteners



Dec. 3, 1957 J. ZBlNDEN v REINFORCED SLIDE FASTENERS Filed April '7, 1955 INVENTOR I REINFORCED SLIDE FASTENERS Switzerland, assignor to Ri-Ri Johann Zbinden, Lucerne,

Switzerland The present invention relates to clothing having a slide fastener with separable end stop members. It is well known that in such slide fasteners the separable and interconnectable end stop members are subjected to substantially greater tensile strains than are the normal interlocking members. Thus, reinforcements are necessary at the beginnings of the stringers, and for this reason the stringers are reinforced often on both sides by means of metal plates to which are secured the end stop members. These reinforcement elements are usually riveted to the stringers. Heretofore, however, the sewing-in of such fasteners into the clothing could be made by machine only up to the reinforcement elements While in a further operation the end portions of the stringers, i. e. the reinforcement elements, still had to be sewed to the fabric of the clothing by hand. This additional working operation is wearisome and increases the price of the article.

It is a prime object of the present invention to provide means permitting the sewing-on of the slide-fastener to a fabric by means of an ordinary sewing machine in one sewing operation, i. e. without the above-mentioned finishing operation by hand.

This is achieved according to the present invention by providing the reinforcement elements with equally spaced opposite slots extending transversally with respect to the stringers in such a manner that the stitching by means of a sewing machine for connecting the fabric of the clothing with the stringers may be continued in the zone of the reinforcement elements.

A further object of the present invention is a method for manufacturing such clothing, according to which the sewing of the stringers to the clothing is effected with the stitch length of the sewing machine adjusted to the distance separating said slots, whereby the stitching is continued in the zone of the reinforcement elements in order to also connect in one working operation the reinforcement elements by means of stitches to the fabric and to the stringers.

It has already been tried to use for these reinforcement elements such materials as leather, either synthetic or natural or thermoplastic synthetic materials instead of metal, as these materials may be sewed to the stringers by means of a sewing machine. However, such reinforcement materials are not satisfactory as they are not strong enough to resist to the stresses to which they are subjected as the end stop members may be torn out from such material or as such materials may be cut by the needle of the sewing machine.

Preferably the reinforcement elements are constituted by the flanges of U-shaped sheet metals slipped over the stringers from the side of the latter opposite the edge bead and sewed in place. Thus as the two reinforcement elements of one stringer are already rigidly connected with each other they are particularly appropriate for their purpose.

it is a further object of the present invention to provide nited States Patent 2,814,847 Patented Dec. 3, 1957 ice the reinforcement elements with a row of openings in line with the interlocking members of the fastener and behind the edge bead of the stringer, these openings being adapted to be engaged by a row of clamping teeth of the end stop members.

Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the description now to follow of a preferred embodiment thereof, given by way of example, and in which reference will be made to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view, and

Fig. 2 is a section along the line II-II in Fig. l, whereby the fabric of the clothing is only partly represented.

The two stringers are designated in Fig. l by reference numeral 10 and their edge bead is designated by 11. The interlocking members 13 are fixed to these edge beads in well known manner. The ends of the stringers 10 are reinforced by means of metallic elements 14. These reinforcement elements are constituted each by flanges of a U-shaped sheet metal 15 slipped over the stringers from the outer-edge of the stringer 10, i. e., from the edge thereof opposite the head 11. A row of parallel adjacent slots 16 is provided in each of the plates 14 so as to cover together a substantial area and these slots are equally spaced from each other so that the fabric 21 of the clothing may be sewed to the reinforcement elements together with the stringers by means of a sewing machine the needle of which passes through these slots 16 in the same way as for the sewing-on of buttons. The stitches produced by such a sewing operation are indicated at 17.

For the sewing operation the reinforcement elements 14, 15 are slightly riveted to the stringers.

By appropriate adjustment of the stitch length to the distance separating the slots 16 it is possible to continue the machine stitches 17, which connect the fabric 21 with the stringers It) also over and into the zone of the reinforcement elements 14, 15. Thus, the whole slide fastener is sewed in place in one working operation and simultaneously the reinforcement elements are closely fitted and connected with the fabric and with the stringers.

The reinforcement elements ending behind the edge bead 11 are provided approximately in line with the interlocking members 13 with a row of openings 18 engaged by a row of clamping teeth 19 of the separable and connectable end stop members 20 and 23, respectively, so that these end stop members are rigidly and securely held by the plates 14.

I claim:

1. The combination with sheets of flexible material of a slide fastener for detachably joining adjacent edges of said sheets, which fastener comprises flexible stringer tapes carrying the rows of fastener elements and also comprises cooperating parts associated with the stringers forming a separable end coupling for them, a sheet metal reinforcing plate lying against the flat side of each tape at that end of each stringer which has the end coupling part, said plate being formed with a plurality of laterally spaced, elongated, straight, parallel, through slots extending transversely of the tape, each of said slots being of uniform width throughout its length and said slots being closely spaced from each other and the transverse end edges of said plate so as to be separated from each other and said transverse end edges by elongated straight bands of metal of substantially equal width, a plurality of spaced rows of machine stitches extending longitudinally of each tape for securing it to the flexible sheet carrying it and also by directly securing to it and said sheet said plate associated with it, the several stitches of each row of stitches throughout the length of the row being of equal length and such with relation to the widths of said slots and bands of the plate that stitches of the row will pass over said bands for so securing said plate, whereby each of said rows of stitches may be formed throughout its length as a continuous uninterrupted machine stitching operation.

2. The combination with sheets of flexible material of a slide fastener for detachably joining adjacent edges of said sheets, which fastener comprises flexible stringer tapes having beaded edges carrying the rows of fastener elements and also comprising cooperating parts associated with the stringers forming a separable end coupling for them, a reinforcing member for each of said stringers at its end having the end coupling part, each reinforcing member comprising a flat sheet metal plate shaped to cause the member to be of U-shaped cross-section widthwise of the tape, the tape being closely embraced by the legs of the U with the free ends of the legs positioned adjacent the beaded edge of the tape, each leg of each member being formed with a plurality of laterally spaced, elongated, straight, parallel, through slots extending transversely of the tape, said slots being of uniform widths throughout their lengths and being uniformly closely spaced from each other and the longitudinal side edges of said legs so as to be separated from each other and said side edges by elongated narrow straight bands of metal of substantially equal width, the slots and bands of each leg of each member lying directly opposite those '4 of the other leg of that member, a plurality of spaced rows of machine stitches extending longitudinally of each tape for securing the latter to the flexible sheet carrying it and also for directly securing each leg of each reinforcing member to such tape and sheet, the several stitches of each row of stitches throughout the length of the row being of equal length and such with relation to the Widths of said slots and bands of the legs that successive stitches of the row will pass over said bands for so securing said members, whereby said rows of stitches may be formed throughout their lengths as one continuous uninterrupted machine stitching operation.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

